Harbor Habitat for Humanity Takes on Its First Renovation of an Existing Home in Benton Harbor

When Alica Isom applied for a house with Harbor Habitat for Humanity in May, the organization asked her to take a look at a place no one wanted: a dilapidated, boarded-up house covered with graffiti on Agard Avenue in Benton Harbor.

Isom decided to take the plunge, and construction on the building was kicked off Tuesday. The house will be the first that Harbor Habitat will renovate rather than build from scratch.

Standing near the gutted structure on Tuesday, Isom said she has faith that Harbor Habitat will bring the house up to snuff. She said she hopes she and her two daughters will be able to move in before Thanksgiving.

“It will be a real big push” to finish the house by then, said Nick Pampalone, the site supervisor for Harbor Habitat.

But if Harbor Habitat can do it on time and under budget, it could mean a new direction for the organization. Pampalone said that in two years the organization may be doing renovations exclusively. On the other hand, the Agard Avenue home may turn out to have been the organization’s first and last renovation.

Ideally, rehabilitating a house rather than building it from scratch should reduce costs by about 30 to 40 percent, Pampalone said. But problems could crop up that force Harbor Habitat over budget or past its construction time line.

Because it’s the organization’s first attempt, it’s difficult to know, Pampalone said.

“This is our big experiment,” Pampalone said.

But it’s an experiment that Pampalone thinks will yield results and likely lead to more renovations, he said.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/07/13/local_news/5626897.txt

West Michigan Cities Find Ways to Help Restore Homeownership

When a “For Rent” sign went up across the street from the Bluebird Avenue SW home they’ve lived in for 40 years, Tim and Merva Keena were curious.

When the neglected and vacant two-bedroom home went into foreclosure, they were concerned.

“I thought it ain’t looking too good in the neighborhood,” Merva Keena said. “The brown siding was old and (the house) was worn. Not too good for our property values.”

The Keenas’ fears are not unique or unwarranted. Many vacant homes suffer from neglect, with overgrown lawns, unplowed sidewalks, plywood where windows used to be or other signs of disrepair.

And their number has been growing. Census data documents the effect of the deep recession combined with soaring foreclosures and plunging property values on a vacancy rate that grew across the state by more than 37 percent over the last 10 years.

www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/07/west_michigan_cities_find_ways.html

Why Black Women, Infants Lag in Birth Outcomes

From Michigan Public Radio:

The overwhelming majority of babies in the U.S. are born healthy, and their growth brings joy and comfort to their parents.

But across the country, there is a whopping disparity in birth outcomes based on race. Black women fare worse than white women in almost every aspect of reproductive health.

"Any state you look at, you see the same disparities, and race is the strongest predictor of disparities," says Dr. Deborah Ehrenthal, of Christiana Care Health System in Delaware. "So we see higher rates of infant mortality, higher rates of preterm delivery." Black women are about 60 percent more likely than white women to deliver babies early, and black infants are about 230 percent more likely than white infants to die before their first birthdays.

In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Christiana Hospital, a corridor is filled with the hum of incubators, which serve as a lifeline for fragile newborns.

Along with the large staff — including more than 100 nurses — you can't help but notice the parents in the NICU, hovering over incubators, rocking quietly in chairs.

Tiera Carter was visiting the NICU for the first time since giving birth to her 1-day-old son. His name is David, and he weighs less than 2 pounds.

"His chances are pretty good of him gaining weight and getting better, right?" she asks Dr. David Paul, a neonatologist.

"It's going to take him a while," he says. "It's going to be two to three weeks until we see him gain weight."

Fragile lives. Fingers crossed.

www.michiganradio.org/post/why-black-women-infants-lag-birth-outcomes

West Michigan Foster Mother Fosters 500 Children in 50 Years Service

On Friday a West Michigan woman was honored for her efforts to give as many children as possible a home.

It's an incredible story of commitment and dedication to helping kids. Elaine Vanleeuwen has been there as a foster parent for 500 kids over the last 50 years.

Many of those kids were on hand for a reception at Children and Family Services in Kalamazoo to recognize all she's done.

Elaine and her husband took on their first foster child in 1961 and they continued taking in foster children over the next 50 years.

Elaine's husband, Alan Vanleeuwen, who shared her commitment to kids, passed away eight years ago, but Elaine continued foster parenting. Even now at 79 she fosters three teenage siblings.

Mattawan Community Food Pantry Continues to Grow

Five-and-a-half-tons.

11,000 pounds.

That's the amount of food in one month that the Mattawan Area Pantry, a group of Mattawan area churches, businesses and organizations, in an ecumenical effort, currently averages as it offers assistance to Mattawan Consolidated School District residents.

Food pantry volunteers have previously stated that hunger is a growing problem in Van Buren County, as nearly 11,000 families each month have trouble putting food on the table.
For several years, a food pantry had been operated by the Mattawan Congregational Church (now Mattawan Community Church.)

As the church operated the food pantry, church members began to see residents' needs increase for food and other items.

About 18 months ago, Access First Credit Union, in Mattawan, began initial talks about starting a community food pantry.

Those talks strengthened through an Access First Credit Union employee at the time, who knew Laura Osborne, Mattawan Community Church's associate pastor. In the fall of 2010, the Mattawan Area Pantry Board was formed to help oversee the food pantry.

Board membership is made up of volunteers from MPI Research, Access First Credit Union, the Mattawan Kiwanis Club, St. John Bosco Church, Mattawan, and Mattawan Community Church.
The board is completing paperwork that will designate it as a non-profit group, separate from the church. It has also filed for 501(c) 3 non-profit status.

Mike Hartwigsen, of Access First Credit Union, business development, Mattawan, said the Mattawan Area Pantry has developed into something "far beyond anything we could have ever started.

"It's taken on a life of its own."

www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20463665&BRD=2188&PAG=461&dept_id=414962&rfi=6

Kalamazoo County Commissioners Continue Discussion on Possible November Ballot for Housing for Homeless

Kalamazoo County commissioners need to vet a proposed tax to support housing for the homeless before deciding whether to put it on the November ballot, board Chairwoman Deb Buchholtz said Tuesday.

"It's going to be more important to do this right than to do it quickly," Buchholtz said during Tuesday's Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Last month, Kalamazoo County Public Housing Commission Chairman David Anderson asked the board to put a 0.33-mill tax request on the Nov. 8 ballot to fund more housing for the homeless. The Local Housing Assistance Fund gives subsidized housing vouchers, purchases permanent housing for the homeless and gives money when people face housing emergencies.

The board has until Aug. 30 — or three more regularly scheduled board meetings — to decide whether to put the issue before county voters.

www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/07/tax_for_homeless_may_get_more.html

Speaker's Bureau for the (Former) Homeless

The typical speakers bureau can get a celebrity, a politician or a media pundit to address your group for a few thousand, or maybe tens of thousands of dollars. But one speakers bureau made up of men and women who have been homeless will provide someone for only $40.

And the speech could be just as compelling as one given by high-priced talent.

John Harrison is one of those speakers. With his ruddy good looks, salt-and-pepper hair, khakis and white button-down shirt, he looks like someone who might spend a lot of time relaxing on a sailboat. Instead, he's still struggling to get back on his feet after years of homelessness.

He's addressing a Jewish youth group, part of a program organized by the PANIM Institute in Washington, D.C. The teens came into the room laughing and joking, but are soon mesmerized.

Harrison's message is clear: Almost anyone can become homeless, and people should be nice to those who are homeless.

"Seemed like all of a sudden, people walked by me like I wasn't even there," Harrison tells the group.

"I remember going into a restaurant to get what I called a 'two for one.' And the 'two for one' for the person experiencing homelessness is the warmth and the food for the price of the food. And so, I was optimistic. They took my order. But when they brought me my food, it was to go. Because that was the message. Go," he says.

www.npr.org/2011/07/04/137534446/ex-homeless-speak-out-to-change-perceptions

Kalamazoo TV 3 Reports on Issues of Families and Homelessness

Kalamazoo based TV channel 3 is taking a hard look at the issues of families and homelessness.

In Kalamazoo County there are a number of families dealing with incredible stress as they try to keep a roof over their heads.

On Friday we spoke to several families who say they are running out of options. Some who stay in hotels and can't afford the rent, while others have too many people to safely stay in one room, all face challenges that continue to mount.

“It's four kids and two adults,” said Angela Fluellyn.

Fluellyn says the one bedroom motel room is the best she can do right now, she says her weekly rent is going up to $200.

“Nobody has too much income besides cash assistance, apply for jobs, no guarantee that anybody gets employment,” said Fluellyn.

Fluellyn says she's been busy filling out applications, but currently the family relies on government assistance for rent and the food bank for food.

www.wwmt.com/articles/kalamazoo-1392893-looking-anyway.html

Kalamazoo Students Headed to Africa to Help Install Water Purification Systems

Don't know about you, but personally I feel that there are not enough positive stories about urban education and the youth therein. Here's an exception:

A group of Kalamazoo students will leave on an overseas trip today, but they won’t be spending time on the beach or at tourist attractions.

Eight students from Kalamazoo and six adults will spend 15 days learning about culture in Senegal and doing community service as part of the Urban Youth for Africa. The program, sponsored by the Kalamazoo Deacon’s Con­ference, is in its third year and its first as a partner of Clean Water for the World.

“There are ways to learn out­side school,” Cranston Mitch­ell, 18, said. “You can learn anywhere.”

The students, who will be staying near the capitol city of Dakar, will be matched up with local students to do workshops, find common ground and en­gage in “mutual culture ex­changes” in collaboration with the Africulturban Community Center, a radio station, youth center and performance space in Pikine.

And they will install a water purification system at the community center as well as one at a school in Pikine.

www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/06/8_kalamazoo_students_headed_to.html

The Sandbox Party Salutes Governor Snyder's New Office of Great Start

Before the real work begins in hammering out the details, early childhood supporters from the tip of Copper Country in the Upper Peninsula to Wayne County in Southeast Michigan paused to commend Governor Rick Snyder’s action (on Wednesday) creating a Michigan Office of Great Start by Executive Order.

The action:

• Places the new Office within the Michigan Department of Education;
• Provides the Superintendent of Public Instruction “all administrative powers, duties, functions and responsibilities” over the new Office;
• Transfers to the new Office all responsibilities of the Office of Child Development and Care within the Department of Human Services;
• Transfers to the new Office all responsibilities of the Head Start Collaboration Office within the Department of Human Services;
• and transfers to the new Office all responsibilities of the Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services within the Michigan Department of Education

www.michigansandboxparty.org/media/in-the-news/react-office-great-start